The present invention relates to a harness and more particularly, relates to a training harness.
Learning some sports becomes somewhat difficult due to the fear of injury. Such sports would include skiing, in-line skating, ice skating, etc. To a degree, one must learn balance and coordination skills which are difficult to initially achieve. As a result, the learner will fall and frequently this will instill a fear in the learner which makes it even more difficult to learn.
During the learning process, and particularly in the case of a child, the parent or other instructor will hold on to the child to permit the child to learn to balance while acquiring the required muscle coordination and balance.
However, the holding on to the child often causes the learner to modify a natural body alignment which is required for adequate balance and muscle coordination. Furthermore, it is frequently difficult for the parent or instructor to adequately hold on to the learner.
These problems have been recognized in the past and, various types of devices have been proposed to aid skaters during their learning process. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,860 issued May 8, 1990 discloses a harness having generally orthogonal strap means adapted to fit around and conform to the body of the wearer. Integral handle means extend from the harness and are adapted to be held by a person for supporting the wearer. The strap means preferably includes a combination of two generally vertical straps which criss-cross the wearer and at least one cooperating chest band which supports and circumscribes the wearer""s chest. The support straps each have an extension which serves as a handle means.
Although useful in supporting the learning skater without having the latter directly and unergonomically holding on to a supporting structure or person, the harness still suffers from drawbacks. One of the main drawbacks associated with this prior art harness relates to the fact that the wearer is in contact with the strap only through the body-contacting portion of the latter. The wearer thus experiences the sensation of being strapped-in much like a package suspended from handles. This sensation can rapidly become frustrating. Furthermore, contact of the straps with the body limited to the chest and crotch areas fails to provide adequate sensory input to the wearer as to the type of balancing assistance provided by the individual holding on to the handle portion of the harness.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved training harness for skaters different sports.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a harness suitable for teaching a sports activity to a child, the harness comprising, a body engaging portion designed to encircle a child""s body, a first set of support handle means extending from the body engaging portion and designed to be grasped by a supporting individual, and a second set of user handle sections extending from the body engaging portion to be grasped by the child.
In a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a harness suitable for teaching a sports activity to a child a harness suitable for teaching a sports activity to a child, the harness comprising, a body strap designed to encircle the body of the child; first and second shoulder strap means each extending between front and rear portions of the body straps, first and second support handle means each extending from a respective one of the shoulder straps for grasping by a supporting individual, and first and second user handle means each extending from the harness for grasping by the child.
Advantages of the present invention include the fact that the proposed training harness is specifically adapted to be used to support and assist a child or disabled individual during training in activities requiring practice and motor coordination such as walking, skating, skiing or the like. Also, the proposed learning harness provides not only a torso engaging section for securing to the wearer and a first support handle means for allowing an individual to support the wearer but also a user handle means for allowing the wearer to hold on to the latter. The user handle means is adapted to allow the wearer to selectively reduce the tension in the torso engaging section of the harness. Also, the user handle means not only provides for a subjective sense of security but also allows the wearer to get a feel of the type of supporting effort provided by the supporting individual since the user handle means are preferably mechanically coupled to the first support handle means. Hence, the wearer obtains a manual feedback on the coordination efforts provided by the supporting individual. This type of feedback, in turn, improves the learning process.
Furthermore, the harness has a torso engaging section designed with optimal characteristics so as to improve the comfort of the wearer. Still further, the proposed harness is specifically designed so as to be customized to wearers of various sizes and configurations. Also, the harness is specifically configured so as to be manufacturable using conventional forms of manufacturing thus providing a harness which will be economically feasible, long-lasting and relatively trouble free in operation.